Circular-knitting machine.



Patented Mar. 26, 190i,

5 Sheets-Sheat 3.

L. N. D. WILLIAMS.

(Application filed Jan; 26, 1900.)

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

(No Model.

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No. 670,828. Patented Mar. 26, mm. L. N. n. WILLIAMS. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Jan. 26. 1-900.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

(N0 Modal.)

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UNTnD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS, OF ASHBOURNE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF HALF TO ROBERT W. SCOTT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,828, dated March 26, 1901'.

Application filed January 26, 1900. serial No. 2,880. No model.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing in Ashbourne, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Circular-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide for rigidly supporting at a uniform level the needles of a knittingmachine cylinder in order that the stitches of a piece of fabric may be readily transferred to the same from the points of a transfer-ring. This object is attained in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being bad to the accompanying I 5 drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view, partly in vertical section and partly in elevation, of sufficient of a circularknitting machine to illustrate the invention. Fig. 2 is a view, partly in plan and partly in section, on the line a a, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line b b, Fig. 2, showing a different adjustment of parts from that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a View similar to Fig. 1, but showing still an- 2 5 other adjustment of the parts. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view illustrating another means of carrying out the invention. Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view on the line 01 d, Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view illustrating still another method of carrying out the invention. Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional plan View on the line ff, Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a further modification of the invention; and Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional plan view on the line g g, Fig. 9.

In transferring the stitches of a knitted web to the needles of a knitting-machine cylinder it is necessary to rigidly support the needles in an elevated position and with their upper ends or hooks in a substantially uniform plane in order that the transfer-points may be properly applied to the upper ends of the needles and the stitches slipped from the points onto 5 the needles without moving or displacing any of the latter and this invention comprises various means whereby such result can be effected.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4:, part of the fixed frame or bed-plate of'a knittingmachine is shown at 1, while 2 represents a cam-cylinder mounted in said frame, so as to be free to rotate therein. Supported within the cam-cylinder so as to be incapable of rotation is the needle-cylinder 3, which has the usual vertical slots or channels for the guidance of the needles 4, the latter having butts 5, which are operated upon by suitable cams on the cam-cylinder, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, so as to impart to the needles the movements of vertical reciprocation necessary to enable them to catch the knittingthread from the thread guide and draw stitches of said thread in the usual manner. The cylinder 3 is in the present instance seated upon an annular holder 6 and vertically secured thereto by suitable set-screws 7, and said annular holder has a downwardly-projecting tubular stem 8, which passes through a split clamp 9 on a bracket 10, secured to or forming part of the fixed frame or bed-plate 1 of the machine, tightening-screws 11 serving as a means whereby the clamp can be caused to confine the tubular stem 8 of the needle-cylinder holder as firmly as may be required without interfering with the Vertical movement of said stem in the clamp. Passing through the hollow stem Sis a rod 12, Fig. 3, the upper end of which is exposed on the outside ofthe cylinder-holder 6, as shown in Fig. 2, and to this exposed portion or the rod 12 is secured by rivets 13 or in any other available way a ring 14, which is free to move vertically on the cylinder-holder to a limited extent, downward movement being restricted by contact of the bottom of the ring with a flange 15 at the bottom of the cylinder-holder and upward movement being restricted by contact of the top of the ring with the bottom of the cylinder. The lower end of the tubular stem 8 of the cylinder-holder is countersunk for the reception of a coiled spring 16, Fig. 3, which surrounds the rod 12 and presses downwardly upon a lug or projection 17, secured to the lower end of said rod and projecting laterally therefrom, said projectionl'i being connected by means of a link 18 to one arm of a lever 19, which is hung to a stud or bolt 20, projecting from the clamp 9 and carries a pawl 21, acted upon by a coiled spring 22 and adapted to engage with a tooth 23, formed on a split retainer-block 24, which can, by

means of a bolt 25-, be securely clam ped to the projecting end of the pin or bolt 20 outside of the lever 19. When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the machine is in its normal condition-that is to say, the needles can be freely reciprocated by the cams, so as to effect the operation of knitting, the shanks of the needles being free to descend below the bottom of the needle-cylinder, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, owing to the fact that the ring 14 occupies its lowermost position and is out of the way of said needle-shanks. When it is desired to transfer the stitches of a knitted web onto the needles, however, the needles around one-half of the cylinder are raised, so as to be clear of the knitting-cams, and the outwardly-projecting arm of the lever 19 is then depressed, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. Owing to the frictional grip of the clamp 9 upon the stem 8 of the cylinder-holder the first effect of this move ment is to raise only the rod 12 and ring 14, the spring 16 being compressed in the countersunk lowerend of the stem 8, as shown in Fig. 3. By the time the lug 17 on the rod 12, however, comes into contact with the lower end of the stem 8 the upper end of the ring 14 will be in contact with the lowerv end of the needle-cylinder, and further movementv of the lever 19 in the direction of the arrow then causes the simultaneous elevation of the rod 12, ring 14, cylinder-holder 6, and needle-cylinder 3, this movement being continued until the parts reach the position shown in Fig. 4, whereupon further upward movement is arrested by contact of the flange 15 of the cylinder-holder with an internal shoulderin the earn-cylinder, and the pawl 21 engages with the tooth 23 and serves to prevent descent of the needle-cylinder or its appurtenances until said pawl has been released from engagement with the tooth. The needles can now all be depressed until the lower ends of their shanks rest firmly upon the top of the ring 14, as shown in Fig. 4, whereupon the upper ends or hooks of all the needles will be in the same horizontal plane and the stitches of the knitted web can be readily transferred to the needles from the points 26 of a transfer-ring 27, which are applied to the projecting upper ends of the needles in the manner shown in Fig. 4. After the transfer of the stitches of the web to the needles has been effected the pawl 21 is released from engagement with the tooth 23 and the lever 19 is raised from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 1, the first efiect of this movement being to cause the descent of the ring 14 and its rod 12 under the action of the spring 16 and then to lower the needle-cylinder and its holder to normal position.

Other means than the vertically-sliding ring 14 may be used for supporting the needles during the transferring operation. For instance, in the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 anotched ring 30 is confined to the lower end of the needle-cylinder by means of an annularconfining-band 31 and screws 32. This ring is notched or slotted in the same manner as the needle-cylinder, and during the operation of knitting the notches of the ring coincide with those of the cylinder, so that there is no interference with the free reciprocation of the needles. Projecting inwardly from the ring 30, however, are a pair of pins 33 and 34, disposed on opposite sides of a vertical cam'bar 35, carried by the upper end of the rod 12. Hence vertical movement of this cam-bar will effect turning movement of the slotted ring 30 to a slight extent in respect to the needle cylinder. When the cam-bar 35 rises, the ring 30 will be turned so as to bring its solid portions or ribs into line with the slots of the needle-cylinder, and thereby provide a rigid support for the lower ends of the needle-shanks, as shown in Fig. 5, the depression of the cambar 35 bringing the slotted portions of the ring 30 again into register with the slots in the needle-cylinder.

In Figs. 7 and 8 is shown another embodiment of this method of supporting the needles, a ring 36 surrounding and being vertically supported on the needle-cylinder and having a slotted rib 37, which projects into an annular groove. in the slotted portion of the needle-cylinder, the ribs or fingers of the portion 37 of the ring being, when moved into line with the slots of the needle-cylinder, adapted to provide hearings or supports for the bent or offset portions 38 of the needles, as shown in Fig. 7, the slight turning movement of the ring 36 on the needle-cylinder necessary to bring the projecting portions of the rib 37 into line either with the ribs of the cylinder or with the slots of the same being effected by hand and the ring being secured in position after adjustment by means of a set-screw 39.

The object of my invention may even be attained Without having any portion of the ring for directly engaging and supporting the needles. Thus in Fig. 9 is shown a plain cylindrical ring 40 surrounding the cylinder and held in place by a set-screw 41, this ring being adjustable vertically on the cylinder, so that it can be caused to cover or uncover an annular groove 42, formed in the cylinder and containinga coiled spring-ring 43. When the needles are elevated, this ring occupies a position beneath the outwardly-bent or offset portions 38 of the needles, and if it is prevented from expanding by the ring 40 it constitutes asubstantially rigid support for said outwardly-bent or offset portions 38 of the needles; but if the ring 40 is moved so as to uncover the groove 42 the spring-ring 43 is then at liberty to expand and does not interfere with the free passage of the bent portions. 38 of the needles up and down past the same.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- IIO Gates 1. The combination of the needle-cylinder and the needles, the knitting-cams, means on the cylinder independent of the knitting-cams for supporting the needles in projected position with their tops or hooks in the same plane, said supporting means being movable in respect to the cylinder so as to withdraw its sup-- port from the needles, and means for raising and lowering the needle-cylinder and its support.

2. The combination of the needle-cylinder and its needles, with a cylinder-holder mov able so as to raise and lower the cylinder and carry its needles above the point to which they are raised by knitting-cams, and a needle-supporting ring acting upon the entire series of needles and movable with the cylinder-holder and also movable independently of the same.

3. The combination of the needle-cylinder and its needles, with a cylinder-holder movable so as to raise and lower the cylinder and carry its needles above the point to which they are raised by the knitting-cams, a needle-su pporting ring acting upon the entire series of needles and movable with the cylinder-holder and also movable independently of the same, and provision for operating the needle-supporting ring and cylinder-holder in succession.

4. The combination of the needle-cylinder and its needles, a cylinder-holder movable so as to raise and lower the needle-cylinder, a needle-supporting ring movable from and toward the bottom of the needle-cylinder, and provision for operating said needle-supporting ring and cylinder-holder in succession.

5. The combination of the needle-cylinder and iis needles, a cylinder-holder, a needlesupporting ring, a rod for operating the latter, a hollow stem on the cylinder-holder surrounding said rod, and a lost-motion connection between the rod and stem whereby the rod is free to move to a limited extent Vertically independently of the stem.

6. The combination of the needle-cylinder and its needles, a cylinder-holder, a needlesnpport-ing ring, a rod for operating the latter, a hollow stem on the cylinder-holder in which said rod is guided, a friction-clamp for said stem, and a lost-motion connection between the stem and the rod whereby vertical movement of the rod to a limited extent independently of the stem is permitted.

7. The combination of the needle-cylinder and its needles, a cylinder-holder, a needlesupporting ring, a rod for operating the latter, a hollow stem on the cylinder-holder through which said rod passes, a frictionclamp for said stem, a spring interposed between the stem and a projection on the rod and means for moving said rod.

8. The combination of the needle-cylinder and its needles, a cylinder-holder, a needlesupporting ring, a rod for operating the same, a hollow stem through which the rod passes, alost-motion connection between said rod and stem whereby limited movement of.the rod independent of the stem is permitted, a lever for operating the stem, and a catch for retaining the lever in one of its extreme positions.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

F. E. BECI-ITOLD, Jos. H. KLEIN. 

